Wall lath finishing clip



United States Patent O WALL LATH G CLIP Joseph W. Schneller, Eggertsville, and Robert H. Slowinski, Tonawanda, N.Y., assign'ors to National Gypsum Company, Buffalo, N .Y., a corporation of Delaware Application May 16, "1956, Serial No. 585,273 8 Claims. or. 72-46) 'includes'the, application of sheets of lath to the wall framing members. This lath will ordinarily be in the for of inch thick sheets of set gypsum-plaster having a paper cover on both sides and being of sizes of 16" x 48" or larger. Systems developed for applying the lath include those requiring application of lath from the wall bottom up and'others requiring application from the top down. System's requiring application from the top down have not met with any substantial acceptance, the 'difliculties involved being fairly obvious.

' j The present invention is directed principally for systems inwhich the lath is applied to the framework from the bottomfirst, thensuccessively upward. It is a principal object of the invention to provide means for the very rapid and firm afiixation of the top edge of the top course of lath sheets; And it is a further object to provide such means as will be suitable for use with a system of lath application which involves applying from the wall bottom up.

It is also an. object of the invention to provide the abovesaid means in a form most simpleof construction and handling and low in material and manufacturing cosh Briefly, these objects are obtained through a small wire clip having means for attachment to the uppermost portion of the wall framework and, further, having a lath overhanging and downwardly extending arm, the lower extent of which is bent inward for piercing and projecting into the sheet lath at an acute angle from a perpendicular thereto. A firm and generally locking engagement may, thus, be obtained, capable of sustaining the vibration and shock of application of subsequent clips and other structural members and material without accidental disengagement.

These and other objects and advantages will appear more fully when considered in connection with the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention and the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a finishing clip embodying the invention in an applied position showing related portions of a partly constructed building wall.

Fig. 2 is a top view of the clip of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front view of the clip of Fig. 1.

In Fig. 1, there is seen a short section of an elongate, inverted U-shaped, ceiling channel 20. Channel 20 is disposed and afiixed in a horizontal position at ceiling height by any of many known means, and is attached to the top of vertical studs 24 by means of stud shoes 26. Studs 24 are disposed on and extend upward from the floor therebelow (not shown).

Channel 20 includes an elongate horizontal flat top face 28 and downwardly-extending, elongate side flanges 30 at each side thereof. Flanges 30 include a plurality of evenly spaced apart holes 32 spaced therealong.

Patented J uly 7, 959

A sheet of gypsum lath 34 is shown vertically disposed parallel to one flange 30, with the top edge 36 thereof extending horizontally immediately outside of channel 20 and abutting flange 30 at a vertical position below holes 32. Lath 34 will ultimately function to provide a base for the application thereon of a layer or layers of plaster (not shown), to be applied in the usual manner of plaster ing. The sheet of lath 34 shown is one sheet of the top course of sheets, it being understood that a plurality of such sheets are applied throughout the extent of a wall for the application thereon of plaster.

The bottom edges of the top courseof the lath 34 are supported and held against studs 24 by any of the usual means of lath sheets at sheet joints, as are well known in the art, such means referred to requiring further affixation of the lath sheet at the top edge adjacent the wall framework top, in the present embodiment adjacent channel 20.

In accordance with the present invention, wall lath finishing clips 40, of formed wire, are attached to channel 20 and to lath 34 closely adjacent the top edge 36, and arepreferably disposed every sixteen inches therealong at positions between studs 24.

Clips 40 include generally the upper framework attaching elements 42 and the lower lath attachingelements 44,

all formed from one. single extent of wire. Framework attaching elements 42, in the present embodiment, in: cludes a back leg 46 extending between two holes 32 on the side of flange 30 within the confines of channel 20. At one end of back leg 46 a short book 48 protrudes outwardly through one hole engaging the flange wall at the hole edge. At the opposite end of back leg 46, a perpendicular topv leg 50 extends through a hole 32 spaced from the hole engaged by hook 48. Leg 50 extends outward across the top edge 36 oflath 34. i

The lower lath attaching elements 44, embodying the invention, include a lath face leg 52 extending downward from perpendicular leg 50 outward of the face of lath 34. The lower end of-lath face leg 52 is bent at an angle from leg 52, forming lath piercing leg 54. I Leg 54 extends from leg 52 toward lath 34, but extends toward lath 34 at an angle substantially less than and substantially greater than 0.

In the present embodiment of the drawings, lath piercing leg 54 extends at an angle in the horizontal plane of 20 from perpendicular to lath 34, in a direction away from the upper framework attaching element 42, in other words at an angle of 20 to the left.

Using the clip 40 with the leg angle of 20 horizontally away from upper elements 42, the piercing insertion of leg 54 into a lath sheet 34 urges clip 40 in the direction towards which leg 54 extends, causing the upper framework attaching elements 42 to become cocked leftward from a normal loose hanging position. This displacement tightens book 48 tightly against the edge of hole 32 providing an over-all firm attachment of clip 40 to channel 20 and lath 34. This direction and degree of displacement has been found preferable, however, a displacement from a normal loose hanging position in any direction will provide generally the firm attachment necessary, in accordance with the invention, to prevent the accidental dislodgment by shock or vibration set up in subsequent construction operations. Thus, an extent of leg 54 in any direction which is toward lath 34 but substantially less than perpendicular thereto, that is, an angle of about 5 or more away from perpendicular to the lath face, but not so great an angle with perpendicular that leg 54 cannot be pounded or pushed into lath 34. That is, about 60 or less, measured from perpendicular, will be considered within the concept of the invention. The forced insertion of leg 54 angularly into lath 34 in any direction will be seen to cause the upper framework attaching elements 42 of clip 40 to become cocked and pulled tightly against ceiling channel 20.

The advantages of angularly extending leg 54 may be seen by comparison to a clip similar to clip 40 but having the leg comparable to leg 54 extending and inserted perpendicularly into the lath face. Such a clip has been found to be completely unsatisfactory as a lath finishing clip with the standard form of sheet lath, the papercovered, set-gypsum lath. Such a clip with perpendicular leg has :been found to disengage the lath, to literally jump out of engagement with the lath, when the normal pounding into the lath of a subsequently applied similar clip leg occurs. The perpendicular leg clip, not embodying the invention, will have only a relatively loose holding engagement, free upon any subsequent vibration, to be knocked or shaken from its piercing engagement of lath 34, considering the tendency of the lath weight to push outward. The clip 40, of the present invention, has been found to be superior to any known finishing clips, in facility of application, low cost and complete sufliciency of holding power as would be required for the greatest shocks or vibration which could normally be expected during subsequent operation in the wall fabrication.

Having completed a detailed disclosure of a preferred embodiment of our invention so that those skilled in the art may practice the same, we contemplate that variations may be made without departing from the essence ofthe invention or the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In combination, an inverted U-shaped ceiling channel having downwardly extending side flanges at each side edge thereof with holes therein at spacedpositions therealong, the top edge of a vertically disposed sheet of building lath disposed generally parallel adjacent at least one of said flanges and a lath finishing clip attached to said channel and to said lath, said clip comprising a single extent of formed wire which includes framework attaching elements and lath attaching elements, said framework attaching elements including an endmost hook engaging the side of one said hole, a back leg extending within the confines of said flanges from said hook to a second hole in the same flange as said hook hole, and a perpendicular top leg extending outward through said second hole to the outer corner of the top edge of said lath, said lath attaching elements including a lath face leg extending downward from the outer extent of said top leg and disposed adjacent the lath outer vertical face and a lath piercing leg extending piercin'gly into said lath at an acute angle to a perpendicular to said outer vertical face.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said acute angle is between about 5 and about 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said acute angle is in the order of 20.

4. The combination of claim 2 wherein said acute angle is in a direction away from said hook.

5. In combination, an inverted U-shaped ceiling channel, a vertically disposed sheet of building lath mounted whereby a top edge thereof is disposed adjacent and generally parallel to said channel, and a single extent of formed wire attached to said lath and to said channel for retention of said lath top edge adjacent said channel, said wire comprising means for attachment to said channel at the upper portion of said wire, a generally vertical leg extending downwardly from said channel attachment means disposed closely adjacent the vertical face of said lath, and a bottom lath piercing leg directed into and extending into the vertical face of said lath at a substantial acute angle to a perpendicular to said face, the angular insertion of said angularly directed leg urging a relatively tightened, locking engagement of the combination.

6. The combination of claim 5, wherein said angularly directed leg forms an angle of from 5 to 60 with a perpendicular to said lath face.

7. The combination of claim 5, wherein said ceiling channel includes downwardly extending flanges having spaced holes therein, and said Wire attachment means engage said holes.

8. The combination of claim 7, wherein said wire attachment means extend between two said spaced holes and engage the two said holes to provide a stabilized mounted engagement thereof.

Olsen Dec. 21, 1954 Nelsson Aug. 2, 1955 

